Kentucky's educators are creating systemic change to produce noticeable improvements in learning for all students. Systemic change has vexed education systems for decades (Tyack & Cuban, 1999). In recent years, it has become clear that implementation science is the missing ingredient in efforts to purposefully improve student outcomes in state…

Educators are prone to say, "we are unique" meaning that their school, district, region, or state education system is unlike any other. The State Capacity Assessment and District Capacity Assessment baseline data collected by the State Implementation and Scaling-up of Evidence-based Practices (SISEP) Center support the assertion of…

This brief is part of a series that explores key implementation considerations. It focuses on the importance of identifying, operationalizing, and implementing the "core components" of evidence-based and evidence-informed interventions that likely are critical to producing positive outcomes. The brief offers a definition of "core components",…

Students cannot benefit from education practices they do not experience. While this seems obvious (and it is), education systems have yet to develop the capacity to help all teachers learn to make good use of evidence-based practices that enhance the quality of education for all students. The purpose of this Brief is to provide a framework that…

Evidence-based programs will be useful to the extent they produce benefits to individuals on a socially significant scale. It appears the combination of effective programs and effective implementation methods is required to assure consistent uses of programs and reliable benefits to children and families. To date, focus has been placed primarily…

Making effective use of the findings of research has long been a problem for school leaders. Research has demonstrated the effectiveness of a number of programs, approaches, and techniques, but the gap between what we know and what we are able to implement is a persistent difficulty in the schools. However, the practice and science of…